


The Speech Guy

by TeamThor



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hugs, Male Friendship, Mentioned Frigga - Freeform, Mentioned Loki - Freeform, Post-Thor: The Dark World, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Thor Needs a Hug (Marvel), mentioned Jane Foster - Freeform, mentioned Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26464528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamThor/pseuds/TeamThor
Summary: Steve didn't revel in being the go-to pep talk guy. But when Thor and Tony clash as a result of Ultron, he feels that it may be time for him to step in.
Relationships: Steve Rogers & Thor
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	The Speech Guy

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a while, and I rewatched aou recently and thought - hey, this takes place after the dark world. thors losses maybe contributed to his actions in aou??? or i just wanted to give a reason and resolution to thor choking tony out lol enjoy
> 
> many thanks to @unraveledwords for helping edit this <3

Steve walked by the door to the kitchen for what he guessed was about the fifteenth time, attempting to smother a sharp sigh of frustration between his clenched fingers.

Why the hell did he have to be the speech guy today? 

Coming from the background he did, people tended to assume that speeches and inspiration were just things that came naturally to him and in a sense, they were right. He was good at it - but that didn’t mean it was something he lived to do. He didn’t stand in the mirror each morning preaching righteousness at himself, no matter what Stark might tell people. 

Talking to his friends was something he liked. Consoling them, if he had to, and knowing they were okay. Helping them, where he could. 

Thor was a friend - or at least, Steve liked to think so. The two got along well the rare times Thor had stayed more than a few days. It turned out that an alien prince and a soldier lost in time did actually have some things in common - surprisingly more than just figuring out modern appliances. They both liked art. They both liked the rain, and breakfast food, and listening to old music on the radio. 

It was nice to see the man behind the armour and the hammer. Nice to know that Thor was still a person - that not every being that beamed down from outer space was out to get them. Some of them may be insect faced nightmare creatures, sure. But some of them might also be strange but overall nice thunder gods who would gladly do the crossword with him. 

He hoped Thor saw him as a friend, too. Someone he could relax around, talk to, maybe even trust. 

Because he got the sense that the following conversation would really be a lot less stressful if Steve was on Thor’s list of trusted friends. Having confidence in his social skills was great - but it was one thing to make small talk with strangers at a party, and another thing entirely to approach a being from Norse mythology and try to talk feelings. 

What was he supposed to say really? It wasn’t like he could just walk in there, clasp Thor heartily on the shoulder and say: ‘Hey, I noticed you tried to strangle our mutual friend Tony Stark earlier, and I felt like something might be bugging you. Wanna hug it out?’ 

What if Thor took offence? Best case scenario Steve got a thousand volts of lightning straight to the hand, and the worst case was that Thor took off, and then they’d be down one rather powerful ally who’s conductive abilities would definitely come in handy going up against a genocidal robot.

And Steve would have to go back to doing the crossword alone, which would suck. 

But, if the ten exploded light bulbs and one static-shocked billionaire/playboy/philanthropist were anything to go by, this wasn’t an issue that was going to go away on its own. 

So speech time it was. 

He shook his head, opening the kitchen door and knocking lightly on the doorframe. 

“Hey. You got a minute?”

For a few moments, Thor didn’t even seem to realise he was there. His face was pulled into a tight frown, fingers nervously tapping against the marble countertop - and, slightly more worryingly, sparks of light seethed and danced under the golden skin. 

The demigod blinked harshly, suddenly, and tilted his head in a small form of acknowledgement. 

“If you are here to give me a lecture on the importance of comradery in times of stress, it is not appreciated at this time.” 

“Wow. I’m that obvious, huh?” Steve chuckled as he moved into the kitchen space, the smell of burning bread and electrical currents catching in the back of his throat. 

Thor spared him a wary glance before returning to glare at the toaster with a storm-like intensity.   
“It's in the shoulders. You always fold your arms and lean against the doorway when you want to give one of us a talking to.” 

"A 'talking to'?" Steve snorted, mouth twitching up into a smile as he dug a friendly elbow into Thor's ribs. "Come on Thor, you're supposed to be the one guy who doesn't make old jokes - you make me sound like your grandpa." 

Thor's face lifted slightly in something close to a smirk - but fell just as quickly, blue eyes casting downward back to the counter as his expression turned dark and thoughtful. 

Which, to those who didn't know Thor very well, might not have been that big of a concern. To the public eye, Thor had managed to maintain the image of dark and broody demigod - mysterious and godly and all too alien for people to approach - but Steve knew him better than that by now.

Steve knew that Thor liked to joke. That was their thing, passing jibes and jabs back and forth across a battlefield like it was the most casual thing in the world. 

He knew Thor liked pranks, liked to have fun and see how long he could pretend to not know how the TV worked or to drag out an awkward situation for all it was worth until the poker faces of their more sturdy friends cracked under fits of laughter. 

To put it simply, Steve knew Thor well enough to recognise that there was something missing in his friend. Some spark of life that somehow had been extinguished, a weariness added to his shoulders that somehow brought him down. 

"If you want me to go away, I will. But it kind of feels like you need to talk." Steve reached out tentatively to prod one of Thor's large biceps with his finger. 

Thor cast him a guilty look, worrying at his bottom lip. "Because I choked Tony?"

"Well, yeah that did tip me off a little bit." 

"Is he okay?" 

"A little shaken up, but I think you hurt his pride more than anything. Plus, y'know - a murderous AI is on the loose, so I'm sure he gets it." 

The lights above them flickered as Thor tilted his head back, and Steve could've sworn the wind outside picked up as the demigod sighed, a large hand running through his hair - fingertip catching against a braid of black that hadn't been there before. 

"I am sorry for my actions. I will apologise, I just…" 

Thor looked down at his hands, at the sparks dancing between the fingertips and the lights coursing through his veins, and for a moment he almost looked scared. 

Which, of course, was crazy. Thor was the God of Thunder - god being the operative word here. A little light show here and there shouldn't be enough to make a millennia old space alien look like one of the guys Steve used to pass in the soldier camps. 

Young, returning from battle with soot staining the previously perfect skin - looking at the hands that they'd just discovered could wield a weapon. 

"I just thought it best I 'cool off' before I returned. But it uh, doesn't seem to be working as well as I'd hoped." 

Steve spared a mourning glance at the remnants of the now-fried toaster. 

"I can see that."

The clock in the corner of the room ticked loudly.

Rain pattered outside. 

A good ten seconds passed before Steve realised that Thor wasn't going to say anything without prompting, and yet again he was going to have to poke the proverbial bear into responding. 

To be fair on him, at least Thor was being consistent. The 'earths mightiest heroes' were apparently mightiest in not discussing their feelings - himself included. He had hoped Thor might be the exception, but now he was starting to think maybe it was Hulk. At least you could usually tell what that guy was feeling. 

"So, is it Ultron that you're stressed about?" 

"Yes. Are you not stressed about Ultron?" Thor turned, arching an eyebrow. 

"Oh, I'm unbelievably stressed about Ultron. Feels like a major catastrophe there - but right now I'm trying to focus on you." 

Steve watched as Thor paced about the kitchen, idly looking in cupboards and fridge drawers for nothing in particular. 

"Things ok with Jane?"

"They're fine."

“Is this about what happened in Greenwich? With Malekith?” 

Thor stopped moving, and Steve swore he could hear the grumble of thunder from somewhere deep within the god’s veins. 

“Why would it be about Malekith?"

Ah. So it definitely was about Malekith. 

Steve remembered parts of that story - but, in truth, he had been a tad distracted when the dark elves (which was something he wasn't even slightly prepared to deal with yet) had attacked London. With Hydra and Bucky and almost everything in his life that had been going on that year, he hadn't actually heard about the alien attack until almost a month after. 

And watching the news coverage of it, he wished he had. Because that would've filled in some of the gaps in what exactly had happened to the demigod - Steve had seen him, on the shaky camera footage, bloody and bruised on the ground. He'd seen Jane pulling at him, trying to haul him away from the looming spaceship. He'd seen said spaceship clip into nothingness, and that was really all he had on the story. 

But a bad knockdown wouldn't have been enough to shake Thor as much as it had. 

The few times he'd seen Thor around the Avengers tower after Malekith, the god had been...different. Quieter. He didn't laugh as hard at jokes anymore, didn't smile for as long as he used to. Steve had caught him a few times sitting by the window, watching the rain fall over New York, and the demigod had never looked so lost. 

"It just seems like something happened. Maybe something you're not telling us?"

"I defeated Malekith, you might recall. It was all captured on the Midgardian television channels, advertised across the globe, put in your papers and your radios - everyone knows that I won the battle in Greenwich. I won it. And...

Thor paused, screwing his eyes shut. He didn't cry - at least, not out loud. But the storm outside raged louder, and that was enough of a cue for Steve. 

Steve placed a gentle hand against Thor's shoulder, gritting his teeth against the sharp sting of static and waited. 

It took a few moments for Thor to collect himself again. A few deep breaths - some of which Steve recognised from Dr. Banner's yoga techniques - and the storm outside quietened. 

Thor cleared his throat, keeping his eyes fixed on the kitchen counter. 

“My mother died - at Malekith's hand," he paused, clearly choosing his next few words carefully. "As did Loki."

Steve drew in a sharp breath. "Jesus, Thor. That's-"

"I do not expect you to understand, Steven. I know Loki was not exactly well beloved among the midgardians, and I don't expect you to offer your forgiveness."

"Thor, you lost your brother and your mom in the same week," Steve edged closer, gripping Thor's forearm with what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.   
"That's awful. And I'm so sorry."

Thor's eyes shut again, and this time those were tears. Steve was already mentally working on a backup 'dear god I didn't realise you went through a family tragedy and I'm sorry for dredging it up' apology speech when Thor's free hand came to rest over his, and the Demigod leant into his hold. 

"When I defeated Malekith I just...I don't know. I thought somehow that would solve everything, and maybe they'd both just be back home. But I returned to Asgard, and it was still so empty." 

Thor tilted his head back, pulling his hand away to wipe fiercely at the sides of his eyes. 

"I couldn't stay there anymore. And now, with Ultron...I just wanted things to seem normal again." 

Steve nodded, a sigh catching in his throat. 

Normal. He guessed that was another similarity he could add between them. Not that he really could say what normal even felt like anymore but...he wanted something close to it. 

Like the party. Joking with his friends, just sitting down and being with them - no robot army or alien monsters necessary. Like be could pretend for just a minute that maybe they weren't a task force designed to stop the earth from exploding. Maybe they were just friends, out for the evening. 

Friends with boring day jobs. Friends who had families, who belonged in this era and were comfortable in it. Friends whose lives didn't involve getting half crushed by a spaceship every other day.

But then a robot had crashed through a window, and they were reminded of where they stood in the world. 

No dinner jackets, no t-shirts, and no champagne. Just tactical armour and saving the world. 

"Look, I know this isn't ideal. It's a bad beat, and we haven't even started yet - but you know you can talk to us, right?" 

Thor scoffed, shaking his head. "They wouldn't understand."

"Okay, I doubt that, but okay. You can talk to me." Steve stepped forward, resting his hands against Thor's shoulders. 

"I know it's tempting to try and do everything alone, but we're a team. Maybe you're capable of coping with this on your own but the thing is: you don't have to. I'm here for you, Thor. You just gotta let me know when you need me to be there."

Thor looked at him, his own hands slightly raised, and for a few seconds Steve wasn't sure if the demigod was going to hug him or try to crush his windpipe. 

Thankfully, he chose the first option. Which was only a little less painful, seen as Thor hugged like he was trying to wrestle a bear, but it was a lot more pleasant. 

The two clung together, standing in the kitchen, and Steve heard the rain lessen from a downpour to a patter. 

"Excellent speech, Captain." 

"Oh, come on. It was a conversation - I'm not the Speech Guy."

Thor chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I suppose I better go apologise to Stark now." He winced, looking in the direction of the doorway. 

"Yeah, I imagine he's got about 50 one liners to hit you with the second you walk through that door." Steve stepped back, patting Thor on the shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get this dealt with."


End file.
